Hi Paizo. Please update this for v13. The Compendium appears when I activate the module but selecting Import does nothing.
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Lol furries.
PC Name: Locke, tiefling ranger/scout
Long Description: After rolling a successful Diplomacy check against Sruggut (total check 36), the party had convinved the worm naga sorcerer to help them. Despite the aberration's cooperation, however, the party warmage "didn't like his attitude." A few threats later resulted in combat beginning. Due to party size, I had a few swords of Kyuss and Wormcallers shamble in from outside Sruggut's lair. The naga, invisible, began casting his buffs. After most of the undead had been taken down, Locke used a skill trick to spot the invisible naga and attacked it -- but provoked an attack of opportunity. He was then poisoned by the monster's bite attack and paralyzed. Other party members quickly surrounded the now-visible naga. Sensing his imminent demise, the aberration lashed out at the paralyzed scout with a harm spell -- which would have killed the tiefling even if he'd made his saving throw. The party's cleric cohort, Kelspar, later raised Locke with their last diamond.
We started on May 12th, 2007 and play every two weeks. Our schedule is 6 hours per game, from 6 pm to 12 am - but we often go an hour or so over. We also had a Marathon Session where we went up to a cabin in Nothern NH one weekend and played from Friday evening until early Sunday morning with only a few hours of sleep in between. At this point we've had 19 sessions, and are right in the middle of The Spire of Long Shadows. Not too bad, in my opinion. We've got another Marathon planned for May, and should have the campaign wrapped up just in time for 4th Edition in June at this pace.
PC Name: Xha'hala, bugbear swordsage/rogue
Long Description: Xha'hala had gained an arrogance when it came to spellcasters, thanks to his natural spell resistance. When he was reincarnated into the form of a bugbear, that resistance vanished. Seeking to end the fight against Celeste's brother [an extraneous plot element added to tie the corrupted eladrin into the adventure a bit more] quickly, the rogue closed the space between himself and the corrupted celestial quickly and unleashed a nasty attack. Kelvos took a few steps and was able to catch every party member in the area of his prismatic spray. Most saved against planar banishment or were lucky enough to simply take damage. Xha'hala, however, rolled a natural 1 on his save against the spell's random effect that had fallen upon him: poison. Greybreeze the druid had run out of oils and unguents for reincarnate spells by this point. Xha'hala's second chance at life lasted less than one day.
PC Name: Xha'hala, drow swordsage/rogue Adventure: The Spire of Long Shadows Location of Death: Outside of Kuluth-Mar Catalyst: Giant-slaying cockiness Long Description: As an Eberron drow, Xha'hala was naturally inclined to slay giants. Thanks to some varied "Outside the Spire" encounter tables of the same CRs that were presented in the adventure, the party met up with a fomorian in the jungles of Xen'drik while approaching Kuluth-Mar. Xha'hala eagerly leapt forward to do battle with the fomorian and his two hill giant minions, dealing significant damage with his spiked chain. His Armor Class left much to be desired, however, and after three solid club-blows and a critical hit from the Huge monster, the servant of Vulkoor lay dead. He was reincarnated a few hours later. The Dice Gods rewarded his bravery against the giants with a roll of 02 -- and Xha'hala became a bugbear.
PC Name: Kelv Thunderbrew, dwarven fighter/barbarian
Long Description: Denizens of the (highly modified) Tomb of Icosiol pursued the party into the chamber of the Tempest Globe while they were searching for Allustan. Upon finding the trapped sage they made a stand -- during which the dwarven berserker as well as the druid's fifth animal companion were fried. The enemies were defeated, the lightning trap was disabled (a skill check that took four VERY intense rounds), and Kelv was later reincarnated -- as a dwarf, by the luck of the dice. PC Name: Eliaon, cleric of the Silver Flame
Long Description: As the occulus demon just wouldn't cut it against my party of six "optimized" characters, I rewrote the final encounter within tomb. Having seen bas-relief images of beholders long ago in Zosiel's tomb, the heroes had no doubt that someday they would have to fight one. I didn't want to disappoint them. The beholder lasted only 3 rounds, during which time the characters made almost every saving throw. When the wizard, Gabriel Moragan, barely made his save against the finger of death eye ray, his friend Eliaon rushed to his side with a death ward scroll. Gabriel was safe from the beholder's second finger of death, but sadly Eliaon was not so lucky when it came to the third. On this evening the party learned a tragic fact: reincarnate does not bring back characters slain by death effects. (Eliaon's player is now running a goliath force missile mage with a cleric cohort.) For the record, these were the very first two PC deaths in our Age of Worms campaign so far.
Thanks, guys! I appreciate the compliments!
Just keep Eligos alive. His death is anti-climactic anyway, as he is resurrected and encountered again in SoLS. Perhaps instead of discovering that Eligos has been murdered at the end of Champion's Belt, the wizard leaves the PCs a note that he's going to Diamond Lake to investigate the Whispering Cairn (if the PCs have told him about it). Once they rescue Eligos from Icosiol's tomb, have him sent them to Magepoint, or even accompany them to see his former master.
You could also replace Lashonna in the last adventure with Dragotha, thus eliminating the need to run Wormcrawl Fissure. My recommendation is to skip Prince of Redhand, run SoLS, Wormcrawl Fissure, and DoaNA. PoR has little purpose other than to meet Lashonna and find out about the Library of Last Resort, anyway. Maybe place Dragotha's phylactery in SoLS, guarded by the Harbinger. From there send the group directly to Wormcrawl. Whatever you decide, good luck!
Chapter 1, The Whispering Cairn - Session 2 (5/25/07) The companions marched into the dank, ages-old tunnel that descended into the cairn. Holes in the walls channeled in air from outside the tomb, creating deep moaning sounds and sibilant whispers that sent chills up the spine. All around the explorers were carvings and faded paintings that depicted geometric symbols - characters that were, in an age past, writings in a language called Vaati. The Vaati were also known as the Wind Dukes, and were one of the many races that fought alongside dragons and couatls against demons in the Dragon-Fiend War in times long past. The Wind Dukes crafted an artifact called the Rod of Law to destroy a demon prince called Miska the Wolf-Spider, but in his defeat the rod was shattered into seven pieces and scattered across the planes. The demons were eventually bound into the depths of Khyber by incredible magic, and the Vaati retreated into the azure skies of the plane of Syrania. A shattered archway and a scarab later found carved onto a sarcophagus also bore the symbols, and were indicative that the cairn was constructed by the Vaati. Deeper within were empty alcoves that once must have housed elegant statues, and passages that now lay collapsed. A sarcophagus of white marble stood at the end of a side passage, raised upon a dais and carved with the likeness of a tall, hairless humanoid of regal bearing. The party avoided the massive coffin and continued on. In a great, vaulted chamber the quartet was attacked as three leathery, tentacled creatures with conical bodies dropped from the ceiling. Darkmantles! One of the small, vicious monsters wrapped itself around Greybreeze's throat, bringing him to the ground as the druid's companions fought off the other creatures. With the flash of blades and the tearing of flesh, the darkmantles were quickly slain and Greybreeze was healed. The companions made their way down a web-choked stairway at the back of the vaulted room. Below was another large chamber, this one domed with seven passages leading away from the main room. Each ten-foot-high hallway was thirty feet long, ending in a carved sepulcher that was nearly identical to the sarcophagus above. Gemstones of various colors were embedded into a scarab at the throat of five of the carved humanoids. As above, the walls were grooved with sharply-angled lined and shapes. The floor and ceiling, too, shared this feature, and deep lines ran from a fire-scorched, circular basin of white marble in the chamber's center to each of the sepulchers in the short passages. After much searching of the room and a brief back-track during which they opened the fire-trapped sarcophagus (barely singing Kazoroth and Eliaon's eyebrows), the druid's elven eyes spotted a faint seam around one of the circular geometric carvings that covered the walls of the chamber. Turning and pulling on the heavy stone plug, the companions revealed a heavy, rusted lever. Pulling on the device caused an iron cylinder to rise from the floor at the end of one sepulcher passage. One by one the party took turns lowering each other in the arcane elevator, blindly delving deeper into the Whispering Cairn. The elevator brought the companions to a gallery, in which a number of statues stood in poses of worship and adulation. The arms, feet, and heads had been broken away from many, thanks to vandals who had visited over the centuries. A stone slab--clearly once part of a falling block trap--blocked the only exit, and a quick exertion of strength toppled the stone and opened a narrow hallway beyond. Half a dozen more statues, intact this time, flanked the hall in shallow alcoves, each with tenderly cupped hands displayed empty before it. The party made their way through the hall, peering into a large chamber beyond. Before they had much opportunity to look around, however, Gabriel was assaulted from behind by a magical ray. He shook of the drowsiness that the beam caused, but as the others moved to his side another ray sent him to the floor in a crumpled heap. The source of the magical blasts was a disgusting aberration which took the form of two bulbous eyes, connected by a sinewy strand of muscle and flesh. Its further attacks proved futile, and in the end it was Ebony's teeth that tore the monster apart and defeated it. Exploration beyond the hall revealed three large chambers that suggested the lair of a Vaati architect. More traps had been triggered by a long-dead explorer, leaving most of his belongings and treasure looted from the cairn destroyed. However, a number of magical tools and wands were found, as well as a ruby-red gemstone that matched those in the domed chamber above, and three tiny sculptures that once floated in the hands of the statues seen earlier. Most exciting of all was the suit of magical chain mail salvaged from the shattered, skeletal corpse of the former adventurer. Satisfied with their first night of exploration the companions returned to the abandoned mine manager's office. Outside the rain still poured and drenched the weary explorers, who settled onto their bed rolls and rested up for the next day's delve.
The second of three levers hidden in the walls of the domed chamber sent a shudder through the floor, as iron ground upon stone. A horrible creak echoed through the halls as the elevator compartment came to a halt before reaching its apex, and then plummeted sixty feet to the bottom of its shaft. Long moments of silence passed, but then Greybreeze's elven senses made him alert once again. He could hear the sounds of scratching legs and chittering creatures ascending the shaft. "Swarm. They won't bother us if--" The druid was cut off as a living geyser of black and red spiders erupted from the now-empty lift shaft. "MOUNTAIN OF SPIDERS," screamed Eliaon! The aggressive, territorial arachnids skittered like a writhing blanket across the chamber floor, climbing up Gabriel Moragan's legs and torso, creeping beneath his duster and sinking deadly fangs into his flesh. Behind the swarm emerged a massive, bloated spider that was bigger than Leamshi's dog Ebony. It leapt to attack Kazoroth, spindly legs scratching along the floor as it charged. Gabriel's hands exploded in burning arcane energy, sending a line of fire tearing through both the swarm and the larger spider. A swatch of the tiny creatures was incinerated, dispersing the swarm and badly wounding the larger creature. The vermin quickly fell, carapace shattered beneath a few blows from the kalashtar warrior's weapon. With grappling hook and knotted rope, the quartet began their careful climb down the shaft and into the spiders' den. Another gallery lay before them, this time the faces of the defaced statues showing angry glares disapproving frowns. Thick strands of sticky webbing made progress slow as the companions proceeded through the gallery's only exit and into a narrow passage. Arriving at a four-way intersection after only a few feet, the companions followed the sound of chittering spiders and turned to the right. The pale light of Kazoroth's lantern fell upon a massive stone table carved with yet more Vaati sigils, and a number of gray, pulsating egg sacs each the size of a large melon. Slime dripped from the sacs and, as the strands of webbing that blanketed the room were disturbed, thousands of spiders came scurrying toward the party in yet more swarms! This time Gabriel's fiery blasts were not enough as the spiders covered both he and Kazoroth. Eliaon backed away toward the intersection, preparing to cast healing spells if his friends fell. From behind him came a horrible hissing, and he turned to see a horse-sized spider creeping toward him. Its clicking mandibles dripped with poison, and its many eyes were fixed upon him. The priest drew his double-bladed sword and did his best to fight off the gigantic arachnid's attacks. Gabriel fell, overwhelmed by the spiders' poisonous bites. He fell unconscious even as he was almost completely drained of strength. Kazoroth threw his lantern to the floor, leaving the corridor in complete darkness after a small explosion of oil and flame left many spiders dead. Eliaon's voice intoned a divine syllable in the darkness, and then his sword burst into light. Taking advantage of the giant spider's surprise, he sliced one thick leg from its body. Leamshi was able to keep Gabriel stable, and the wizard-soldier faded in and out of consciousness even as Kazoroth moved to Eliaon's side. He had summoned a greatsword of psionic energy, and his powerful blows split the creature's exoskeleton and sent it tumbling to the floor. With the larger spider slain, the Karrnathi priest rushed into the swarm of spiders to heal Gabriel Moragan. With his very last ounce of energy, the arcanist summoned a final burst of fire to eradicate the remaining arachnids. As his companions helped him to his feet and quickly retreated from the dungeon, Gabriel sent a few more balls of fire into the spiders' nest, insuring that each and every egg sac was exterminated before returning to the surface.
With Leamshi's help, Moragan had recovered from the spiders' venom in three days. Eliaon and Kazoroth ventured back to Diamond Lake, selling the statuettes they had found in the Lair of the Architect to a dwarf from House Kundarak named Tidwoad. Aside from running the town's money changing service and banking house, the dwarf was a jeweler. He shared his store with a pair of House Sivis gnomes, who served as Diamond Lake's long distance messengers. Still in need of arcane components for Gabriel's identification magic, the pair stumbled upon the fortune teller Chezabet. She offered to help Eliaon and Kazoroth find their way around town, if they agreed to take her to their druid friend. They agreed, and were introduced shortly thereafter to a friendly local wizard by the name of Allustan. Allustan lived on one of the few patches of green grass in Diamond Lake, in a house flanked by gardens and reflecting pools. Within, he shared a cup of tal with the adventurers and inquired about their findings in the local hills. He seemed educated in the history of the cairns and the Vaati, but did not press for details - instead offering his new friends a vial of anti-toxin to aid in future encounters against spiders. When brought before Greybreeze, Chezabet kneeled penitently before the druid and begged forgiveness for her previous abruptness. She then went on to describe her visions: "Druid, I come to you asking forgiveness for the abrupt ending to our last meeting. Never before have I seen such darkness in a man's fate. I wish to relate to you all that I saw in more clear detail, if you will allow me." "I spoke of a connection between you and three others. I can best explain this by explaining the most basic principles of Fate on Eberron.
"I was shocked by the aura that surrounded each of you. I have seen so few chosen of the prophecy in my life, that four such beings together -- well, I should have sensed an omen.
"When I looked into your past, at first I saw darkness. Only a pinpoint of light illuminated what has been. As I drew toward that tiny beacon of light, I found myself pressing forward through a deep forest, and all around me were dancing lights, though they barely lit my path.
"As I continued, the form of the great tree shrunk to that of your mortal form--an elven man. Unusual, I thought, for within the destiny of the cards, one's form almost always remains the same.
As the fortune teller finished, Greybreeze thanked her. He then stepped out into the night, heedless of the pouring rain which fell and obscured one's vision beyond all but the shortest distance. "I think I will take a walk."
Chapter 1, The Whispering Cairn - Session 1 (5/12/07) The cold, mid-winter rain had been falling in sheets ever since the coach left Galethspyre one week ago. The Orien Trade Road resembled a wide trench of soupy mud, slowing the horses as they plodded along and causing the chest- and sack-loaded carriage to lurch and heave every now and then. Eliaon and Kazoroth had met when they signed onto the coach back in Graywall, hired by the driver, Arzt, to serve as hired hands. Though they had been offered no gold for their troubles, the pair was promised a free ride all the way to Sharn as well as free meals and board along the way. The coachman had so far made good on his word, and in exchange the two younger men helped to load and unload cargo, groom and feed the horses, and perform other necessary tasks for the aging merchant. The three travelers hadn't spent much time getting acquainted, often traveling in silence. The portly Arzt was friendly enough once the trio had set up camp each night, however, quick to laugh or offer a smile. The wind howled and thunder rumbled angrily, the sky darkening as a storm rolled in. The mid-day darkness was illuminated briefly by a streak of lightning that sliced across the cloud-filled sky. The rain pounded down harder upon the top of the coach, and Arzt grumbled from his place at the front of the wagon, angrily cursing his luck and begging Olladra and Kol Korran to ease their fury. The coach groaned as it tumbled over another hole in the mud, nearly tipping to one side. As it righted itself upon the ground a sharp CRACK resonated through the air - the telltale sound of an axle breaking in half as the vehicle came to a grinding halt. Several minutes of investigation revealed that the broken axle would take a full day to repair, and Arzt was unwilling to begin the work under the assault of a thunderstorm. "I can see the lights of a farmhouse just a quarter-mile ahead. You two take the horses, see if the owner'll let us stay the night. I'll stay here and start unloading some of the cargo." Despite arguments against the coachman's plan, he waved off any notion that he would be unsafe if left unguarded. "What sort of damn fool brigand's going to be out and about in this weather? I'll be fine." Eliaon and Kazoroth followed the treeline southward, making their way toward the faint lights of the distant farmhouse. As the storm picked up around them and thunder followed flashes of lightning by mere moments, the pair pulled their cloaks tighter, deciding to walk their resistant horses. The ear-shattering sound of thunder rocked the earth, and a few hundred yards ahead a great tree split and burst into flame. When the ringing in their ears dulled, the companions heard the frantic barking of a large dog ahead. The huge, black saint bernard stood at the edge of a shallow crater of blasted earth, the ground scorched and still smoking. The smoldering remains of the shattered tree lay flaming in the depression, scattered around the naked form of an elven man. Next to him lay a masterfully-crafted staff of livewood, with much of its surface blackened and scorched. Keeping a watchful eye on the large canine, Eliaon and Kazoroth cautiously wrapped the elf in a cloak and carried him with them on their way to the farmhouse. An elderly farmer by the name of Thomas Gray answered the door. He seemed pleased with the offer of gold, and hospitably brought blankets and soup to his guests. After the horses were stabled, Kazoroth set out for the coach to fetch Arzt. While they waited, Eliaon laid his hands upon the elf and channeled faint, white light into his body. The stranger awoke, though he did so with no memory. He called himself Ember, for the smoldering embers of the destroyed tree that must have rained down around him during the storm. He called to his dog, which he dubbed Ebony, slipping a leather pouch from around its neck and pulling forth a handful of small dragonshards. Kazoroth returned after a few hours, regretfully explaining that Arzt was gone and that the coach had been looted. Introductions were made and Thomas was questioned. The farmer assured the three men that there had been no bandits active in this area in his lifetime, though it was possible that gnolls had come down from the Droaam border and attacked. After a while longer, all decided to investigate in the morning and get some sleep.
Gabriel Moragan arrived at the docks of Diamond Lake late in the afternoon, leaving the Dagger River behind him and heading into the heart of the town. Built among rocky, uneven hills, the mining town was quite possibly muddier than the riverbank. Narrow side streets meandered between dilapidated buildings, meeting up with the Orien Trade Road that had been dubbed "The Vein" by locals. Through the torrent of rain that obscured his vision, the ex-soldier could make out a number of businesses that encroached upon the town square. Most notable was the Emporium - a three-storied building of gray brick, from which emananted boisterous songs, raucous laughter, and not a few carnal sounds from behind closed upper-level shutters. The Captain's Blade arms dealer, a seedy-looking saloon known as the Feral Dog, and a general store called Taggin's also occupied the center of the Vein. An hour or so of exploration brought Gabriel to his destination near the northern end of the Vein: a two-story tavern of plastered stone, designated "The Spinning Giant" by it's faded placard. A circular stage dominated the center of the first floor, while the second floor served as a balcony of sorts where patrons could watch the performance below. Barrels and crates stacked upon the stage were a testament to its lack of use. Every man in the Spinning Giant was armed, and most bore visible scars that had been inflicted during battle. Even the bartender, Thorik, walked with a severe limp. As Gabriel entered, the soldiers paused in the middle of a song they had been singing. All eyes feel upon the lieutenant for several long, tense moments. A few men smiled, then, and others lifted their tankards in a salute. The song resumed. Several mugs of ale and a few drinking songs later, Gabriel Moragan had befriended a few of the tavern patrons - all of whom, it seemed, were members of the local militia. Unfortunately, there was no sign of his friend Alexander Stark, whom he had traveled from Sharn to meet with. "Aye, I know Stark. A fine soldier!" As evening turned into night, Gabriel found himself sitting with Chief Scout Merris Sandovar - a somewhat dirty, unshaven ranger with a crooked-toothed smile. "I haven't seen him at the garrison in a few days, truth be told. Must've found himself a lady friend." Merris shared what he knew of Diamond Lake with the newcomer, offering a bit of knowledge regarding the mine managers, the governor-mayor, and the crooked Sheriff Cubbin. Together they pondered what might have become of Stark. "Don't worry yourself too much, friend. I'll tell you what: share a drink or two with me now, and in the morning you can start your search for Stark."
Eliaon, Kazoroth, and Ember had encountered little luck in their search of the broken-down coach, which by morning had sunken firmly into the mud. The rain was a light drizzle now, and the elven druid had found an article of Arzt's clothing and offered it to his dog Ebony's sensitive nose. The massive dog was able to pick up Arzt's trail despite the rain, and within the hour the three men found themselves upon the banks of the Dagger River. Beneath a willow tree they discovered signs of a rowboat being dragged ashore and later launched. With no further leads, the companions determined that Arzt's attackers must be from the nearby town of Diamond Lake - a seedy mining town half-a-day's journey to the south. Though the rain poured down harder during points of their short journey, the group arrived in the ramshackle town several hours later. Stepping into the first tavern they came across, the trio was welcomed by sneers and harsh questions from the soldiers at the Spinning Giant. With a bit of diplomacy and a willingness to buy a round of drinks for a few of the militia men, the travelers were invited to sit down and chat. After learning a bit about Diamond Lake and its inhabitants, the party set out for the general store to purchase some clothes, supplies, and weapons for Ember, and then to the Shady Dragon Inn for dinner and some well-deserved sleep.
Both Gabriel Moragan and the group of Eliaon, Kazoroth, and Ember spent much of the next day out and about in Diamond Lake, speaking to locals, gathering information, and following leads regarding their respective missing persons. While Gabriel visited the garrison and the sheriff's office, the other companions investigated the local docks hoping to find a trace of Arzt. The river had flooded to a point where the surface of the wooden docks was covered in an inch of water, however, and tracking proved impossible even for Ebony. The master of the docks - a scrawny weasel of a man who was quick with threats and uncooperative when questioned - was of little help, though his demeanor suggested that he knew more than he'd let on. No matter where they went, the four men found that signs seemed to point to a man named Auric and his companions. Auric was a massive warrior from the distant city of Stormreach, and had gained great reknown as a champion in the gladitorial arena of that city. He, along with the wizard Khellek and the elfmaiden Tirra, had come to Diamond Lake in search of an artifact that they believed was hidden in the ancient, abandoned cairns south of town. Of course, everyone in town knew that the tombs had been plundered and cleaned out many years ago. Children often explored the crumbling chambers on a dare, and adolescent lovers used the cairns for secret rendezvouses. It was common knowledge in Diamond Lake that Auric and his band spent a great deal of coin at the Emporium. Having discovered that Alexander Stark had taken great interest in the adventurers and their affairs, Gabriel set out for the Emporium to find them. He quickly learned that Auric was quite arrogant and rude, as was his drinking companion Khellek. Both men offered no help to either the ex-soldier, or to Kazoroth and Eliaon who soon arrived on the scene. Kazoroth and Eliaon took an interest in Gabriel's plight, however, and both parties offered to help each other, sharing what information they could. While his friends had gone up to the lounge in search of Auric, the elven druid known as Ember took an interest in the Emporium's "Hall of Science." Within he discovered a dragon's egg clearly chiseled from stone and painted red, a "unicorn" skeleton with a wax horn, and other oddities. The exhibit's main attraction was a two-headed calf - a sickly creature born blind in three of its four eyes. The druid was angered by the treatment of the animal, and began seeking answers from the Emporium employees. During his tirade, the elf was approached by a woman in blue silks. She approached cautiously, identifying herself as Chezabet the fortune teller. She had sensed an unusual aura emanating from Ember, and invited him into her chambers for a reading. As she focused on ivory plates before her, each carved with symbols of her trade, the human woman fell into a trance. Writhing darkness. Unfathomable evil from deep below. You and your companions have brought forth great darkness -- or, has the darkness brought you? With a horrified scream, the fortune teller begged the druid to leave her. She had, however, given him some clues that stirred his memory. "My name is Leamshi Greybreeze."
The next day brought more investigation. The companions, who now numbered four, were able to learn the location of an abandoned mine manager's office where Alexander Stark had found a missing child only a week ago. Gathering their gear, the quartet set out for the hills along the lake's western shore. None of the travelers paused to ask Eliaon where he had been the night before. The Karrnathi battle priest had returned to the local dockmaster's office, smashing through a window and coaxing information out of the shady man with the power of the hellishly-glowing red and black mark on his face. It was still raining, and the lake was flooding. Two hours south of town, the band spied a building perched atop a nearby hill. The two-story wooden building's second floor had collapsed, and the low stone wall surrounding the place lay in ruins. Taking shelter from the weather, Eliaon, Kazoroth and Moragan searched the place while Greybreeze went out with his dog to hunt. Beneath a sagging wooden porch, the ex-lieutenant found a brand new backpack stuffed with rope, sunrods, and rations. He stared at the letter he had received from Stark, and left the crumbling building. He searched the nearby hills for a while hoping to find a sign of the cave his friend had written about. His survival and geography skills were lacking, and he finally returned to the abandoned office when the druid found him a few hours later. As they ate a dinner of rabbit and berries, the four men discussed their plans. Moragan revealed that Stark may have returned to the nearby cairn and, after a short debate, the group set out into the hills immediately. With Greybreeze's natural wilderness skills, the party quickly located a wide cave mouth hidden behind a patch of thin, leafy trees. An ornate archway framed the passage, and within the walls were painted with ochre and violet lines that formed abstract shapes. Low moans and hissing whispers could be heard from within. Striking a sunrod against the wall, Kazoroth stepped into the musty tunnel...
My group has been playing Age of Worms, set in Eberron, for several months. We keep a community on Livejournal upon which everyone can post character thoughts, and I generally provide a narrative recap after each session. You can find the journal here: http://community.livejournal.com/age_of_worms/ I wasn't too impressed by the official conversion notes provided for Eberron, so you will notice many differences in Keith Baker's vision of Age of Worms and mine. From the community info page, our cast of characters: Eliaon - This aberrant-marked Karrnathi human has a clear hint of elven blood in his veins. Despite the events of the last several months, Eliaon still has many secrets that he does not share with his companions. His power to channel divine energy, however, is unrivaled - even if the source of that energy is unclear. Gabriel Moragan - A former soldier in service to Breland, to be sure. He still wears the Brelish officer's duster emblazoned with his lieutenant's chevron. In addition to a sword upon his hip, one might notice a pouch full of spell components. With the looming threat of the Age of Worms, Gabriel has found purpose in life--something that was taken from him when the Last War ended. Leamshi Greybreeze - Little is known of this elven druid, who bears strange tattooes across his back. His memory is hazy, but the fortune teller Chezabet has foretold a destiny of darkness for him. Green worms and the name "Kyuss" ring distant bells in the druid's memory, and his mind is filled with echoes from events that occurred hundreds of years ago. Locke Barsavi - Sharn is a difficult place for an orphan to grow up, especially when that orphan is a tiefling. Locke is an agile and clever rogue with a streak of something fiendish in his bloodline -- bad news for those who slew his mentor, whom he later gained vengeance for in the bowels of Sodden Hold. Thanks to a horrible, soul-imprisoning trap Locke has seen the results of the Age of Worms firsthand; he now seeks to stop it at any cost. Kelv Thunderbrew - This dwarven warrior is a deadly whirlwind to those who find themselves on the wrong end of his twin waraxes. Like the other companions his carries a great burden and a dark secret. Though he was first motivated by gold and greed, Kelv has since found purpose in the quest to protect his new comrades and prevent the arrival of the Age of Worms. I'll post the first recap entry, and if there's any actual interest in this journal I'll post more (sans PC entries) as time permits.
My group finished The Champion's Belt last night and we took some pics. I thought I'd post them so you folks could take a look. The first photo is only included so you can see the size of our arena (the Red Ring in Eberron's city of Stormreach). It's not as massive as some that I've seen on these forums, but we had a great time. The Apostle nearly slew three of our five party members - its breath weapon brought the cleric to 1 Con, its bite brought the wizard to single-digit hit points, and the ranger/scout was swallowed whole and nearly dissolved by Con-damaging digestive acids. Thanks to quick thinking and fast acting, however, the cleric hit the badly injured Apostle with a heal spell from a scroll moments before the rogue died and became a spawn of Kyuss.
We just hit level 10 this weekend, and the group is about to face Madtooth the Hungry. We have had no deaths at all so far in this campaign, which is surprising because I have been adamant about letting the dice fall where they may. We have had a few players leave the group, and a few players join mid-campaign. Those who have come and gone include Kazharath the kalashtar psychic warrior/soulknife, Scythe the warforged fighter/rogue, and Sir Damien the human paladin. Our current party follows. Eliaon human cleric 10
Filge escaped back in May when we ran the Whispering Cairn adventure. We had a long marathon session this weekend in which we finished up Hall of Harsh Reflections and most of The Champion's Belt. I changed the motivations of Chyrassk (Zyrxog) and Telakin a bit, associating them with Filge. Once he learned that the party was in Sharn, where he had fled to after his defeat, he urged the doppelgangers to take out his old enemies. The party eventually hunted Filge down in the mind flayer's lair and, despite the ogre zombie, minotaur skeleton, and spectral rider protecting the necromancer, killed him once and for all.
Without any prompting, the group decided they wanted something to reference the place that most of them had met - the Whispering Cairn. They spent a few minutes trying to incorporate Zosiel's name, before deciding against it. They then focused on the "Wind" aspect of the Vaati and the Rainment of the Stormwalker item that they had found in the tomb (switched out for the Circlet of Wisdom +2). Anyway, in the end they decided on "The Stormwraiths," which I thought was pretty cool.
If you've already been through the Champion's Belt adventure (which, by level 14, you certainly should be), then there are no spoilers.
My party breezed through the lizardfolk lair, taking advantage of the bottlenecks and going so far as to taunt them to come out and fight. My players are on their way there. I've made some significant changes, such as doubling the map scale for starters. Plus I've given the harpies a pair of pet carrion crawlers, and upgraded the advanced otyugh into a lifeleech otyugh. Shukak is going to get a power bump, too. I just haven't decided quite how yet. I thought about making him a warblade, but I'm saving *that* little surprise for The Champion's Belt when they face Mal Zolark/Loris Raknian.
I inserted a Deck of Many Things into a campaign once, discovered while the party was checking out the World Serpent Inn. This was easily 6 or 7 years ago, and it was the first time I decided to try out the Deck in 3rd edition. By the end of the session, one of the characters shot up several levels, while another was irretrievably imprisoned on another plane. I, admittedly, took the cheesey way out - much to my players' relief. (Odd, no?) I made the dreaded "dream sequence" call, and called the session a wash.
Thanks for the photos, Neck! Looks like you had a nice, large scale battle. Thanks for checking them out! I wanted the siege to be a little more memorable than it would otherwise be, as EaBK is (in my opinion) one of the weakest adventures in Age of Worms. I felt the huge battlefield would add alot to the session, so I kept the whole thing secret, hid the board in my kitchen until they arrived at the keep, then made the players wait in another room while I set up the siege. They came back out into the living room to what I thought was an awesome surprise. Is that a purple worm repainted as an overworm in the background? It is indeed! The players don't know about Overworms just yet, but the Wayne Reynolds cover image from the first AOW installment is on our campaign journal. The mini sits next to my DM screen as our Age of Worms mascot - my girlfriend had named him Chewey.
I have to agree that the siege encounter at the beginning of EaBK was a little too easy. My party consists of the following: Sir Damien - human paladin 5
Our warforged rogue dropped out of the campaign just prior to this adventure. I re-statted Allustan as a diviner/item creation specialist, taking away all of his evocation spells, and allowed the PCs to control him for this fight. I also placed a dozen archers on the battlements of Blackwall Keep, and let each of the PCs control three of them during his initiative. That said, I also adjusted the number of attackers as follows: 27 common lizardfolk
I have taken a very stern "let the dice fall where they may" view for Age of Worms, and didn't hold back at all. The lizardfolk were significantly hindered at one side of the keep, thanks to the druid's entangle spell, but the others attacked in wave after wave of scaly death. Other than the cleric falling to a dracotaur's attacks three rounds into the five-hour combat (he was healed and got to participate after only a few rounds of incapacitation, luckily), and the druid's wolf companion being dropped by the same, there weren't even any near-fatalities. Allustan was a factor only in that he cast stoneskin on the druid and summoned a few bombardier beetles before dimension dooring to the top of the keep's safety. Below are a few photos I took during the battle. It was a great time.
We're just about to begin "Encounter at Blackwall Keep" with the following party: Human paladin 5 (was going to shoot for Shadowbane Inquisitor, but recently lost interest in that PrC)
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